Manu was my second story for the year long National Geographic series on National Parks. Remote and inaccessible, Manu ranges from the Peruvian Andes down into lowland rainforest and is the world's most bio-diverse national park. The subject of the coverage however was predominantly Manu's indigenous people. I spent weeks inside the park living with the Machiguenga in the communities of Yomibato and Tayakome. The lead image was one of Yoina (age 9) with her pet saddleback tamarin on her head. Many of the people I met on the assignment had only come into 'contact' days before I shot their portraits (at left and others similar in the gallery). Manu was a passion project as I have been visiting it for over twenty years.

As smoking regulations in North America get stricter, the number of smokers, especially among younger generations, are in decline. If Mad Men taught us anything, it’s that smoking is not nearly as common as it used to be. In some circles, it can even be seen as taboo. Considering these changing habits of North Americans, it’s incredibly startling to see the recent series by Toronto based photographer Michelle Siu. For Marlboro Boys, she travelled to Indonesia to document the shocking reality of young smokers.

It’s easy to begin smoking when it’s presence is everywhere. As the fifth largest tobacco market in the world, Indonesians are bombarded with ever-present advertising targeting youth and easy access to cheap cigarettes (about one dollar a pack). The industry is closely tied to the country’s economy and that industry relies on consumption. What’s most alarming, is that the habit is forming early. According to a recent study, the number of children smokers aged 10 to 14 has doubled over the past 20 years, and has tripled for those ages five to nine.

Photo report's insight:

"Indonesia’s relationship with tobacco is complex. Cheap cigarettes, ubiquitous advertising, a powerful lobby with tight political connections and lack of law enforcement fuels a national addiction.

Indonesia holds one of the world’s highest rates of male smokers and it often begins at a young age. Boys are growing up in an environment where demand for tobacco is strong and foreign tobacco giants such as Marlboro maker Philip Morris, are establishing themselves as smoking rates decline in other countries.

With the fifth largest tobacco market internationally, the industry is tied to the country’s economy and that industry relies on consumption. Indonesia remains one of the few countries that has not joined the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the World Health Organization which aims “to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.”

Young smokers begin the cycle of addiction but at a health cost for generations to come. The juxtaposition of young boys smoking like seasoned addicts is jarring yet this project is intended to not only shock and inform viewers but to demonstrate the lack of enforcement of national health regulations and to question the country’s dated relationship with tobacco." - MICHELLE SIU

Originally from Stockholm, Gratzer has been living in Bangkok with his wife and son since 2009. He has travelled throughout south-east Asia and the Indian subcontinent, focusing on rights issues such as child labour, human trafficking and women's rights, as well as environmental concerns. He has recently become a Getty Images contributor.

He said: "With my pictures I try to make people aware of what the daily struggle faced by millions of people across the continent. There are so many sides of Asia that are not pleasant. My major concern for the region is that corporations are eating up Asia and spreading like cancer. Many leaders in powerful positions turn a blind eye to what's happening in this part of the world. There is a sort of philosophy of 'money first and what happens next is not our concern.'"

Altaf Qadri is a Kashmiri-Indian photojournalist with Associated Press.He has received several awards for is photographic work. The New York Times described his work as having a "sophisticated eye and highly effective technique."

18-year-old Izumi Miyazaki arranges her daydreams into surreal photographs that are filled with deadpan humor. Each photo is manipulated so that the mundane becomes a little more magical. From levitating candy hearts to snow made of rice, Miyazaki ups the mystique with a wink of the eye.

By putting herself in the spotlight as the main subject, Miyazaki frees herself to being able to play with subtle changes in expression. Her photographs also call upon themes of identity and coming of age purely based on context. Because most of her artwork is staged in everday locations, they can almost be read as a visual diary of emotions.

The pure fun of Miyazaki’s photos is that they can be interpreted any number of ways: As a teenager’s creative way to express herself — or the product of a quirky overactive imagination.

"30 years ago in the small Brazillian town of Caconde, in the state of Sao Paulo, construction on a large home for the elderly (asilo) was started by a local priest to alleviate conditions in the town’s already crowded facility. The structure was abandoned when the priest moved to another town. (…)

These simultaneously occurring stories are the history of small town." - GREG MILLER

"30 years ago in the small Brazillian town of Caconde, in the state of Sao Paulo, construction on a large home for the elderly (asilo) was started by a local priest to alleviate conditions in the town’s already crowded facility. The structure was abandoned when the priest moved to another town. (…)

These simultaneously occurring stories are the history of small town." - GREG MILLER

Steve McCurry returned to Cuba in November, 2014 and photographed the streets of the capital. This trip was made only weeks before the Cuban and US governments announced the beginning of regular diplomatic relations.

Greg Kadel is an American fashion photographer and filmmaker based in New York City. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He moved to New York to study marine biology and fine art. It was only after graduation he realized his passion for photography and filmmaking. He now spends his time living between New York, Paris, and Los Angeles.

London-based photographer, filmmaker and artist Ben Hopper created the series 'Transfiguration' in collaboration with circus artists and dancers. Using paint and powder, photographing his subjects in almost bizarre positions, Hopper creates sculptural figures that appear more abstract than actually human.

He states: "Like a mask, the layers of body paint and powder disguise the identity and release something animalistic from within." You can see much more images of the series over on his Blog, where he is also selling some prints.

The Vietnam War ruled 30 years of the country’s history in the 20thcentury. US Military invaded between 1965 and 1973 and sent hundreds of thousands of US soldiers into the war. The excuse was to prevent a Communist takeover of the whole country which was divided into the communist North, and the pro-American South. In1975 the North won the war and the last Americans left the country.

Forty years after the war there are no more foreign troops in the country but platoons of tourists visiting the old battlefields and tunnels excavated by Viet-Cong guerillas. There is a market selling old military stuff and even faking it. The Defoliation Spray called “Agent Orange” is still affecting the people and causes disabilities. During the war US Airforces dropped 7 million tons of bombs on Vietnam and there are still remaining bombs and landmines below ground. Even though America lost the war, capitalism finally triumphed and the remains of the war serve its prosperity. So we are looking at a country that has just opened up and the new generation is being exposed to a growing Western influence.

Roughly 40 years after the conflict ended, the absurdity of war and its consequences are more obvious than ever. - Hahn Hartung

"Serge Bouvet first went to India in 2012 with the plan to make a photo project about the hijras – a term used in Southeast Asia to define transgender people. But while documenting this story he discovered something else: the openness and beauty of the Muslim community living in the Turkman Gate old city in Delhi. Bouvet decided to photograph the Muslim men he met. And I talked to him about this project, about how he got the idea and about the way he approaches the people he photographs."- Bianca Olivia Nita

Lisa Weatherbee’s series, 'A Day with Patience', is a record of just that: one day spent with a twelve year old girl, Patience, in her village in Ghana.

Having joined Photographers Without Borders, she arranged to spend a day with a young woman that the organisation put her in touch with, and the results are an open-hearted study of a day in the life of someone with whom, outwardly, the photographer had little in common. Weatherbee uses natural light, and her palette is bright and fresh: at times, the images almost recall fashion photography in their easy movement and the clean lines of Patience’s school uniform.

Throughout the series, Weatherbee’s gaze is unobtrusive; Patience meets the lens’s eye with steadiness and maturity, and it is her world that we find ourselves in. While meditative moments are duly recorded, however, the viewer cannot forget that Patience is still a child: in one image, she plays on a slide with abandon, a carefree moment that almost comes as a surprise after the seriousness and composure that is recorded in the rest of the series.

Homes in the village of Denganmal in western India do not have running water. The only drinking water comes from two wells at the foot of a hill outside the village. The well is often so crowded that the walk and wait can take hours in the sweltering heat.

Photo report's insight:

"I am a television news correspondent turned photographer, working for Reuters in Mumbai. I was brought up in the Indian capital Delhi but have been posted in Mumbai since summer 2010. With Reuters, I made my foray into professional photography. I've been learning something new about photography everyday on the job. Apart from taking pictures to go with the daily news, I have a keen interest in shooting in depth features and multimedia."- Danish Siddiqui

Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. Around 29 percent of girls are married before the age of 15, and 65% of girls are already married by the time they turn 18. Families are often in a hurry to marry their daughters off, because girls are thought of as an economic burden. Education is considered unnecessary for girls, because boys get the jobs and bring the money in.

Child marriage is both physically and psychologically damaging. Girls who are forcibly married at a young age are more likely to experience domestic abuse than their unmarried peers and many girls report their first sexual experience is forced. A girl of 15 is five times more likely to die in childbirth than a woman in her twenties.

Allison Joyce, an American photojournalist based in Bangladesh, travelled to a rural area in Manikganj District, west of the capital, and photographed a wedding between a 15-year-old girl and a 32-year-old man.

In the larger cities of these countries child marriage and being bonded has been outlawed, however there are so many people in the rural areas continuing old "traditions." Many times, people in the rural areas do not even know the laws and the problem is compounded because there is noone from the the law there to make sure these practices are being stopped.

Ritam Banerjee is an Indian photographer, specialising in a variety of fields such as travel, fashion, photojournalism, advertising, interiors, portraits and automobiles, among others. He started pursuing photography in 1996. A freelance photographer, Ritam also works with and is globally represented by Getty Images.

Photo report's insight:

Based out of Mumbai, Ritam has never quite understood the need to create a niche. Shooting extensively across categories—travel, photojournalism, advertising, interiors, portraits, automobiles, fashion, food—he has always sought inspiration and challenge in variety. From training his lens at the blazing dome of the Taj Palace & Tower when Mumbai was under siege in 2008 to documenting the placid course of the middle and lower Ganges, Ritam has framed things as disparate as spas and slums, ketchup and cars. Over the last decade, Ritam has worked with corporates and publications across continents, and has also been associated with the global agency, Getty Images. Apart from stills, he shoots commercial AVs, and has recently worked as a cinematographer for a feature film. Ritam has also been in the news for his theme-based calendars and his exhibitions. - Ritam Banerjee

Erwin Olaf Springveld , professionally known as Erwin Olaf, is a Dutch photographer.

Erwin Olaf Springveld was born on 2 June 1959 in Hilversum in the Netherlands. Springveld is most famous for his commercial and personal work. He has been commissioned to photograph advertising campaigns for large international companies such as Levi's, Microsoft and Nokia.

Some of his most famous photographic series include "Grief", "Rain", and "Royal Blood". Never one to shy away from controversy, Springveld's work is often daring and provocative. Humorously however, one of his early photographs was once expelled from a show on the basis of not containing nudity.

His work has received many awards[4] and he has held exhibitions around the world. Springveld studied journalism in the School of Journalism in Utrecht.

His work is shown in galleries and museums all around the world, for example at Wagner + Partner, Berlin; Flatland Gallery, Utrecht; Hamiltons Gallery, London; Galerie Magda Danysz, Paris; Gallery Espacio Minimo, Madrid ; and many others. Springveld designed the 2014 Dutch euro coins with the portrait of King Willem-Alexander.

Greg Miller’s large format photography has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, TIME, Esquire, Fortune, LIFE, and more.

Predominantly using an 8×10 view camera, Greg Miller‘s photography utilizes street photography, found moments and portraiture to capture human relationships and a sense of suspended reality. In 2008, he received a Fellowship in photography from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.

"I had the good fortune of starting early. I got into photography taking pictures for my high school yearbook and working for a photographer in Nashville, my hometown. There is a long string of people who influenced me early on but it all really started with my dad who was an amateur photographer.

When I came to New York in 1986 I studied at The School of Visual Arts. One of my first teachers there was Lois Conner who later introduced me to Andrea Modica and Judith Joy Ross. The three of them have been and continue to be really big influences on me. Lois shoots with 7×17 and 8×10 view cameras and Andrea and Judith shoot 8×10." - GREG MILLER

Greg Kadel is a US born fashion photographer and filmmaker based in New York. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Kadel moved to NY to study marine biology and fine art. Upon completion of his studies, he discovered his passion for photography and film making and for nearly a decade, Greg has been creating influential images that have graced the pages of Allure, Harper's Bazaar, i-D, Italian Vogue, Japanese Vogue, L'uomo Vogue, Numero, Visionaire and Vogue China. He has also been an image maker for the likes of Biotherm, Diane Von Furstenburg, Elie Tahari, Hermes, H&M, Lancome, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, L’Oreal, Max Mara, Oscar de la Renta, Shiseido, Valentino, Victoria’s Secret, and Salvatore Ferragamo.

His images have been described as “classic with a modern flair” and he is respected for his unique ability to bring the best out of his subjects. He currently spends his time working between New York, Paris and Los Angeles.

To kick off 2015 let's time travel back to 2014. This is Bangkok. The city is sinking into the flood lands it was built on. Someday soon the roads will be rivers. But that hasn’t stopped the expansion. Megacity. The exurban and suburban zones are nearly as dense as the city center. Building and rebuilding. Old and new structures competing for skyline. Some resemble robots. Some remain unfinished. The elevated Skytrain connects them all. Down below the infrastructure sags. Progress and tradition. Congestion edging towards permanent gridlock. None of the cars, buses, trucks, tuk-tuks, motorcycles, ferry boats, river taxis, scooters and bicycles move at all.

Most people wear hospital masks on the street, pulling them aside to slurp noodles or smoke a cigarette. The air is thick with humidity and sweat and smog and sex. Inside, everything is Megamall. Climate controlled consumption. Medical tourism. Sex tourism. Drug tourism. Displays telling you how to look and how to feel. Massive electronic billboards advertise for dental surgery. Written in Thai. In Chinese. In English. In Neon. Screens above and screens below. Reflections in the puddles, on the windows, in the eyes. Projections. Personalized. Customized. Individualized. Food. Fashion. Eye color. Politics. Products. Sex. Gender. This is Bangkok. - ZACKARY CANEPARI

Images from Africa in the Western media show mostly terrible misery, war, hunger and poverty. According to UN figures more than ninety percent of all Africans live neither in war nor crisis-areas and the economic growth of some African countries is among the largest in the world.

Kenya‘s economic growth is annually between five and six percent which is three times higher than the growth in Germany. This is above all to the credit of the middle class, which is probably the most crucial potential for the development of the country. Nevertheless you hardly notice anything about the lives of african middle class people. We traveled to the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi to meet and create a portray of people belonging to the middle class.

Guangzhou based fashion photographer Huang Junyuan brings us a very mysterious and solemn series called “Pure”. Although the red and white sets of images are both mysterious and solemn, they each convey a very different tone and mood.

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